


The lamps burned brighter

by thepotatocalledmia



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fire Lord Zuko, Fire Nation, Firebending & Firebenders, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, One Shot, Waterbending & Waterbenders, Zuko Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-05 22:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6726592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepotatocalledmia/pseuds/thepotatocalledmia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lonely Fire Lord Zuko turns to his friend Katara for comfort. Will he confess his true feelings for her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The lamps burned brighter

Zuko stood on the balcony all by himself. With Aang in the Earth nation and Sokka back home, he felt friendless and just so lonely. 

Things were still strained with Mai. He didn’t blame her. Mai was one of the strongest and bravest women he had ever come across but breaking up with her was the best thing he could have done. 

Zuko had fought a war, won an Agni Kai but ruling the Fire nation was proving to be a lot more difficult. Uncle Iroh said that he had a full faith in Zuko, that Zuko was already a better king than his father. 

But was that enough? The Fire nation had been at war with the entire world far too long. The treasury was in ruins, the slain were too many to be counted. How was he, a young boy who was yet to see his 20th year, supposed to rebuild an entire country?

Zuko needed someone, anyone. A friend to joke with, a sibling to confide in, a lover to embrace…

The shimmering surface of the pool in the garden blurred for a minute as a tear slid down Zuko’s cheek. Fire Lords didn't cry but Zuko couldn’t help it. The past few weeks had been painful. The courtiers still hadn’t accepted him entirely. The relations with other nations were poorer than ever. 

Some wounds take a long time to heal. Some wounds leave scars. He traced the familiar outline of the scar around his eye hoping that the wounds inflicted by the Fire nation would not leave scars behind, especially ones as grotesque as his.

Taking a deep breath, Zuko impatiently wiped his eyes. He would not cry. He was not weak. 

His eyes focused on a female silhouette sitting by the pool. In the soft light of the dusk, her skin appeared golden. She was absentmindedly swirling the water while reading a scroll. 

Katara.

Zuko realised he had a friend here after all. Katara was kind. He knew it from experience. Zuko’s thoughts darted back to the day in the cave and then to the day of his Agni Kai with Azula.

Katara. She was spectacular.

Without intending to, Zuko found himself walking into the garden and towards her. She had now kept the scroll aside and was gazing at the setting sun. Waterbenders got their power from the moon. But it was so like Katara to enjoy the sun just as much. 

She turned towards him acknowledging his presence.

“Fire Lord Zuko, how are you?”

“Please don’t call me Fire Lord for the next hour. I want to be Zuko again, just for some time.”

“What happened?” she asked, her dark eyes wide with concern.

“I thought getting here would be difficult. Being here and ruling is even worse. They expect so much of me yet they disregard every decision I take. Sometimes it feels like they still think of me as a traitor. It’s just...so damn difficult!”

After his impassioned outburst, Zuko put his head in his hands. He did not want Katara to see his wet eyes. Zuko knew that Katara was Aang’s girlfriend but he had a little pride where she was concerned. 

He felt a hand gently clasp his shoulder. Zuko raised his head in surprise at the warmth that seeped into him from her hand. He felt the tension leak out a little from his body. He looked into her eyes. They held no sympathy. They held no pity. Yet they were staring intently into his.

“Don’t worry, Zuko. It’s going to be okay. They might not trust you yet but give them time and eventually they will see you for the wonderful ruler that you are.”

“But what if I am a terrible ruler? What if I lead the Fire nation to ruins?”

“You won’t. I know you won’t. I believe in you, Zuko. You are going to do the right thing, this time and every other time.” 

Katara’s face was closer to Zuko’s than it had ever been. He could see her long eyelashes; he could see her soft full lips. He could see see her waterbender eyes burning with a fire he had never seen before. 

 

Katara noticed the lack of laughter lines on Zuko’s face. She noticed the scar and traced it with her eyes. How could someone who had been through so much evil still manage to become good? How could someone with that arrogant nose and that regal jawline still be so insecure from within? She yearned to take him in her arms and to comfort him. The wonderful person that Katara had realised Zuko to be deserved to be loved so passionately and so unconditionally. He deserved to laugh, to smile and to burst with joy. 

The lamps in the garden lit themselves. The moon was now high in the sky. Yet neither Zuko nor Katara could tear their eyes from each other.

 

Katara raised her hand and trailed a finger along the sharp lines of his cheek. She reveled in Zuko’s sharp intake of breath. Did it mean that he too wanted her? 

Zuko closed his eyes.The feel of her soft hand was exquisite. He wanted to lean down and kiss her so bad. Did she want to kiss him too? What about Aang?  
He sat still waiting. He could not bear to move lest he be rejected. 

Katara felt him lean in into her touch. She felt his craving as if it were her own. It was eating him from within. But he used every bit of his self-control to restrain himself. 

Why? Had she read it wrong? Did he still care for Mai? 

She moved to take away her hand. Zuko placed his hand pressing it into hers before she could move it. 

Why? Zuko did want her. But why wasn’t he kissing her? Katara wondered for a moment before realisation dawned on her. Zuko did not believe that Katara felt the same way about him. Was it because he felt himself to be unworthy of her? 

She felt a fierce surge of anger in her belly. His goddamn abusive family had make him incapable of realising that he could be loved. They had made him believe himself to be flawed beyond repair. 

Katara moved her hand into Zuko’s hair. He had let it loose so it felt down his broad shoulders. Zuko was a warrior. A warrior need not have such luscious hair.

Katara leaned in and softly pressed her lips on his.

His eyes flew open in shock at the touch of her lips. He only took a moment to recover.

“What about Aang?”

“What about him?”

“He’s your boyfriend!”

“No! He's not! What made you think that? For God's sake!”

“You kissed him! After the war, you kissed him!”

“I did. But that was all it was- a kiss. Nothing more.Aang and I are not going out!” Katara was now exasperated. 

“You're not?” A wide smile spread across Zuko's face making him look so much younger. For once, he looked nothing more than a carefree teenager.

Zuko pulled her to himself. He place his hands on either side of her face and leaned in. He hesitated for a moment, unable to believe his luck.

He kissed Katara.

The lamps burned a lot brighter that evening.


End file.
